DEARBORN, Mich. – Macomb Men's Basketball never trailed in a 79-73 road victory at Henry Ford College on Wednesday (Jan. 14). The wire-to-wire win pushed the Monarchs to an even 1-1 in MCCAA Eastern Conference play and 8-9 overall.

The host Hawks, a team receiving votes in this week's NJCAA Division II Rankings, fell to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play with the loss. 

Despite dealing with devastating news over the past 24 hours, the Monarchs started the game strong, taking control early with a 7-0 burst from the opening tip. The Monarchs extended their lead to as many as 14 in the first half when they went ahead 21-7 with 11:47 remaining.

The Hawks made a run of their own to close the opening stanza, slicing the Monarchs lead to five at the break, 34-29.

Joey Angok had a strong start to his day with seven points and five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Caron Williams had seven points, four rebounds, and an assist in the first half. 

The Monarchs started the second half much like the first and jumped out to a 15-point lead, 57-42, with 11:09 remaining—the team's largest lead of the night.

The Hawks had one last push and got to within two possessions late before the Monarchs made free throws down the stretch to secure the hard-fought road victory.

Donald Wilburn led the way for the Monarchs with 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Angok ended his night with a career-high 13 points and nine rebounds. The freshman from Grand Rapids also had a block and an assist. Williams finished with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

Keithan Gilmore netted 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Jaylon Jackson chipped in a career-best 10 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench for the Monarchs. Tabari Howard dished out a game-high eight assists, hauled in eight rebounds and added five points to post his latest well-rounded game.

The Monarchs shot 26-of-64 from the field and capitalized at the charity stripe, making 20-of-22 attempts. The Monarchs also held a decisive edge on the glass, out-rebounding the Hawks, 43-29.  

With Wednesday's win, the Monarchs have now won four of the last five in their series with the Hawks.

The Monarchs return to action Saturday (Jan. 17) with their conference home opener at Wayne State University against Mott Community College. Tip-off against the Bears is set for 3 p.m. inside Wayne State's Matthaei Center in Detroit.